PIPER

PROCESS SYSTEMS
Rotary Vane
vs. Liquid Ring
Seamless integration

of design, engineering

LTD
and fabrication.
Comparing Compressors Assumptions:
Stringent regulations require Vapour Re- 1. $60 per man-hour
covery Units (VRU) to be operational at all 2. Cost escalation factor of 5% applied to each
5 year period
times. Equipment failure risks high financial 3. Standard Teresso mineral oil used for the cost
penalties because emissions must then be of consumables
released into the atmosphere through ig- 4. Rotary Vane compressor requires annual
nited flare stacks or atmospheric venting. blade replacement due to performance con-
ditions (costing is included).
The reliability of Piper VRUs are key to the
profitable operation of heavy oil recovery
plants in Alberta’s Oil Sands and other
parts of the world.
The Cumulative Costs:
Scheduled Maintenance chart below
demonstrates the stark difference be-
tween the Liquid Ring and Rotary Vane
units when comparing material and man-
hour costs of scheduled maintenance.

Rotary Vane (19L/219M)

Liquid Ring (2x EM Series)

1.403.212.5750 www.piperprocess.com
 Rotary Vane Long Term Savings
The operational savings over thirty years
vs. exceeds $2.58 million when using a liquid
ring compressor.
Liquid Ring
The Cumulative Costs:
Scheduled Maintenance chart demon-
strates that the operation of a Rotary
Vane VRU requires significantly more con-
sumables and maintenance costs over a
thirty-year period compared to a Liquid
Ring VRU.
Tanks are used throughout the Energy
Industry to store product prior to pump-
ing to the plant or pipeline. If the Vapour
Recovery Unit (VRU) does not operate or
provide sufficient capacity, the increase
in pressure will be relieved directly to the
atmosphere through relief valves on the
tank.
Environmentally Sound
Operation
It is essential that VRUs be capable of
handling varying capacities and com-
positions of water vapour, light hydrocar-
bons, H2S, CO2 and asphaltines coming
from the tank to ensure an environmen-
tally sound operation.
In heavy oil applications where there are
often elevated temperatures and the
potential of high concentrations of the
constituents, liquid ring compressors have
been extremely reliable when incorpo-
rated into a VRU module.
www.piperprocess.com
PIPER
PROCESS SYSTEMS 1.403.212.5750
LTD
Other types of compressors, such as
vane and screw, have difficulty com-
pressing wet vapour and may con-
dense liquid during the compression
cycle.
Consequently, the compression of liq-
uid damages the vane or screw com-
pressor with an incompressible fluid,
with asphaltine build up, or hydrocar-
bon liquid diluting the lubricating fluid
of the compressor.
Piper Process Systems
VRU Modules
• Fully automated stop start of one or
multiple compressors without operator
intervention
• 0% to 100% fully automatic capacity
control
• Ability to manage a wide variety of po-
tential inlet vapour compositions
• Easy maintenance and serviceability
• Proven module function
• Very high reliability (on stream factor).
• Packages are built for easy transport
Piper is known for the seamless inte-
gration of design, engineering and
manufacturing. We are customer fo-
cused and custom build VRUs to meet
specific needs. They deliver consistent
performance and bring a significant
return on investment through lower
maintenance costs and the recapture
of hydrocarbons.
sales@piperprocess.com